BOSS Pedals - Replacement Switches

[smallbearelec]

In every BOSS compact pedal, Roland has long used an SMK keyboard switch for the contact closure that cuts the effect in and out. We were told recently by our distributor that the tooling has been retired and SMK will no longer make this part.

After I panicked, I looked at the Cherry MX1A-11NN, which I sell as a work-around for TS-10 repairs. Fortunately (maybe not surprisingly), it's a close fit for the opening in the pedal chassis:

www.smallbearelec.com/HowTos/BossTac.jpg

It needs maybe a dab of adhesive underneath so that it won't wobble, and the repairer would have to glue a piece of plastic or wood on the underside of the hinged actuator to compensate for the shorter plunger. Not a difficult cobble, and the Cherry part is current production.

We'll sell our remaining stock of SMK switches to individual customers only. Of course it's possible that Roland will persuade SMK to do another run. However, I have no way to know if/when that might happen, so please be aware that this work-around might be needed at some point.

Regards
SD